qué bien
/ke bjen/from spelling rules
The English phrase "cool beans" can be translated into Spanish as qué bien.
The expression is used informally to show approval or to express that something is great. Depending on the context and region, you might also use related terms like genial or está genial to say something is great or terms like chévere and guay to mean "cool".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many Latin American countries, the term chévere is commonly used to mean "cool". In Spain, the word guay is used to express the same idea.
Did you know?
- In Spain, the word guay is believed to have originated from the English word 'gay' as it was used in the 1960s to mean 'bright' or 'carefree'.
- Depending on the intonation, qué bien can be used sarcastically to mean 'just great' when something actually goes wrong.
- The word bien in the phrase qué bien is a distant linguistic relative of the English word 'bonus', as both come from roots meaning 'good'.
Examples in context
- ¡Vamos a la playa este fin de semana! ¡Genial!Let's go to the beach this weekend! Cool!
- ¡Qué bien!Cool beans!
- Qué bien que viniste.It's great that you came.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are discussing plans for the weekend.
- MaríaTengo dos entradas para el concierto.I have two tickets for the concert.
- Mateo¡Qué bien, María!Cool beans, María!
- María¿Quieres ir conmigo el sábado?Do you want to go with me on Saturday?
- Mateo¡Claro que sí, me encantaría!Of course, I would love to!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
